NEW ZEALAND DOCTOR

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 151, 26 June 1912, Page 10

NEW ZEALAND DOCTOR

CHAKGE BY LADY JOUENALIST. UNFOUNDED ALLEGATIONS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) j LONDON, 15th May. Dr. Robert Donald, until recently medical superintendent of Waitati Asylum, found himself in an awkward predicament on Saturday evening. Owing to an unfortunate series of circumstances, he was arrested on a serious charge of burgling at a lady's flat. It was evident, after the prosecutrix had given her evidence, that the case was one of mistaken identity, and the Magistrate was prepared to dismiss it without even hearing the defence. Dr. Donald, however, went into the witness-box and made it quite clear that he had been wrongly charged. The Magistrate said that Dr. Donald had his sympathies. Dr. Donald studied for has professional degrees in this country during 1903 and 1904, and after that he held public positions in [Now Zealand. He had come Home on this occasion to study bacteriology at the London Hospital. FOLICE COURT PROCEEDINGS. Robert Donald, aged fqrty-six, of Seymour House, Compton-street, Clerkenwell, was charged on Monday at Clerkenwell with burglariously * breaking and entering a flat and stealing two gold rings, value £15,' the property of Ethel Wigmore, journalist, Mr. Rickettß prosecuted and Mr. Harrison defended. The lady, said Mr. Ricketts, was on the staff of The Times. She occupied a fiat just above prisoner's. It was alleged that prisoner put his arm and body through a window which was open to the passage and took her rings. She stated that she saw him, and was not mistaken in the identification. The rings had not been found, but the man's hat fell off as he hurriedly withdrew from the room. That hat prisoner refused to try on at the Police Station, declaring that he never wore bowlers. . Prosecutrix said she took off herrings in the bedroom at 11 p.m. on Saturday, and laid them in a tray on the dressingtable. The window opened into the passage— &he window wsb partly open. She went into the kitchen, leaving a light burning. Hearing a noise Bhe returned to the bedroom. The window had been thrown up, the curtain pushed aside, and a man was leaning in at the window, with his arm stretched across the table taking the ringß out of the tray. She declared prisoner' to. be that man. As he drew back his hat foil off, and was left behind on her dressingtable. She ran out on the balcony and called out "Burglars I" Prisoner then came out of his flat, and she accused him. She sent for a constable and had him arrested. She had nevei seen the prisoner before that day, but was perfectly certain of his identity. The rings had not been recovered. Cross-examined : The passage referred to was accessible to anybody, even from the outßide. She did not agree that the prisoner appeared to be one coming to her assistance. There was a "lapse of five minutes" between the burglary and her meeting the doctor on the stairs. He came almost directly, after she screamed. " DRUNK OR MAD." Police Constable Lawry said he was attracted by screams, and the prosecutrix ran out and complained to him. He saw the prisoner, who said he heard a scream, and hie wife asked him to see what was the matter. He saw the prosecutrix, "either drunk or mad," and she said he had stolen her rings. "Do you think I would be the first to run up if I had committed burglary?" Inspector Gray, of Hunter-street, said the prisoner refused to try on the hat "on sanitary grounds." The Magistrate : It is rather a dirty thing ! The inspector said he had not searched the prisoner's rooms. • The Magistrate : Is he on the register? Mr. Harrison : Yes. sir ; in the New Zealand division. He is highly qualified. Mr. D'Eyncourfc said he was prepared to discharge the accused, but would give him the opportunity ' of denying tho charge in the witness-box if he so wished. Defendant availed himself of the opportunity : He was here for the purpose of studying bacteriology at the London Hospital. He was with his wife and friends after dinner on Saturday until after 11 p.m. After tho friends left he prepared to go to bed. having Been his. sister-in-law into an adjoining flat. He was partially' undressed, when he was disturbed by someone above calling. He ran upstairs, and saw Miss Wigmore "in a very excited state." She at once accused him, and he left and joined his wife, who had followed a few steps. He met a. man in a dressing-gown and went back. Miss Wigmore stood with bowler hat in hand and^ a cigarette, and said, "You're burglars !" Afterwards, "You in the shirt sleeves are a burglar." The other man said he was a police officer, and was present. Ho did at first think the lady had been drinking, but now put it down to excitement. He had never been up the staircase before he saw the lady, 'and he had not stolen anything. He had some means. Mr. D'Eyncourt : Discharged. Mr. Harrison referred to the question of costs. The Magistrate : I will give what 1 can, but I am afraid that is not much. The discharged man complained that he had been detained by the police. The Magistrate said they could not help themselves on such a charge. His sympathies were with the doctor. Tiv. Donald thanked the ■ Magistrate.